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Faces from around the world in Mecca

A central pillar of the Islamic faith, the Hajj journey is meant to bring the faithful closer to God.

Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
More than one million pilgrims have already arrived in Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]

By Basma Atassi

Published On 20 Sep 2015

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Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims have flooded into Mecca from all over the world to perform the spiritual journey of Hajj.

One of the world’s largest annual gatherings and a central pillar of the Islamic faith, the journey is meant to cleanse the faithful of sin and bring them closer to God. Many people wait years for the chance to come to Mecca, either saving up money to fund their journey or waiting for their turn to be granted a permit among long lists of applicants from all over the world. Each country has an allocated number of people who can go to Hajj.

This week, worshippers at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the world, were preparing for the pilgrimage that starts on September 22.

RELATED: HAJJ 360 – The sites and rites of this week’s pilgrimage to Mecca

 

 

Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Jameea, 95, came from Egypt with her son, a herder who spent 50 years saving up the 70,000 Egyptian pounds ($9,000) needed for their Hajj journey. [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
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Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Silla Saedena Omar, 64, and his brother, Mohammad Haidar, 73, came from the Malian capital of Bamako, which has been embroiled in violence for years. Omar says Bamako was relatively quiet when he left for his journey, which cost him more than two million CFA francs ($3,500). [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Rika, a 40-year-old teacher from Indonesia, and her husband, Tameez, a 43-year-old university employee, have been waiting six consecutive years for their names to be chosen in the government's lottery for Hajj permits. Rika says the couple's dream finally came true this year, with the cost of their journey amounting to 74 million rupiahs ($5,200). [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Following a route that the Prophet Muhammad once walked, the rites also trace the footsteps of the Biblical prophets, Abraham and Ishmael. [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Jamil Jalal, 49, came with family members from Iraq's Kurdish region. Many others could not afford to come to Mecca because of the economic hardships caused by what he called the 'siege' imposed by the central government. [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Fatma had to wait until her 95th birthday to come to Hajj. She and her daughter travelled from Algeria. [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
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Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Gholam Mohammad, in his 60s, arrived from Pakistan after his son, an engineer in Saudi Arabia, funded his trip. [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Hajj [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]
Mashra, a 29-year-old teacher from the Philippines, and her friend, Ruhuna, 22, said they were 'chosen by Allah' to perform the Hajj at a young age. The trip, which cost each of them 180,000 pesos ($3,900), was funded by their parents. [Basma Atassi/Al Jazeera]